do you consider using unity to make games "real game design"?

Posted 04 October 2011 - 11:22 PM

if you make games with unity do you consider it game design like a c++ and java programmer? im thinking about making one in that but i dont want to be critisized for the wysiwyg interface as if it was a map maker for a game

Replies To: do you consider using unity to make games "real game design"?

Re: do you consider using unity to make games "real game design"?

Posted 05 October 2011 - 01:10 AM

Well game design and game programming are different. You don't design games in C++ or Java, you program and implement them. If you use Unity to knock up a game quickly without using any of its more advanced features that is more like game design. If you use its scripting features then you can achieve something pretty cool and learn some nice techniques at the same time.

I don't think anyone would criticise you for making a good game regardless of the tools used. There are a large number of professional companies using Unity, do you want to tell them what they are doing is not real game design?

Re: do you consider using unity to make games "real game design"?

Posted 05 October 2011 - 05:21 AM

I think it is wrong to create games using a program such as GameMaker or RPGMaker (although they can be fun to play around with). However Unity is more like a development platform and engine rather than a drag and drop game maker. Unity basically saves you from needing to write the development tools yourself. To make an actual game, you still have to do a lot of thinking and scripting.

Re: do you consider using unity to make games "real game design"?

Posted 05 October 2011 - 05:25 AM

Well, Unity is neither 'real' game design nor game programming. Put straight, the 'game design' phase occurs (or at least should occur) before you touch the tools to actually make the game - that is how it is done in games. So if you are making a game in unity without any real design, that isn't designing the game, that is making a game without an initial design.

As stayscrisp says, game programming is the implementation of algorithms in code to create various aspects of the game engine which Unity abstracts from the user.

Re: do you consider using unity to make games "real game design"?

Posted 05 October 2011 - 08:10 AM

I'm in college currently and my program/major is specifically called Game Programming and we still learn Unity and UDK.

Therefore, I'm led to believe that yes, it still counts. It's just a matter of how much scripting you do on your own and how much you rely on the engine to do things for you. It's perfectly acceptable to make a game using Unity and if the overall quality of the game is good nobody will care.

Re: do you consider using unity to make games "real game design"?

You can design a game with a pen and paper. You can design a game in your head. You can design a game within an engine/environment/tool/kit.

I would say using a pre-built engine/tool/kit/environment is more restricting than programming a game from the ground up. However, using pre-built tools is less time consuming and allows you to build your designs fast.

I think a combination of the two is nice... use tools to built prototypes. See what works and what doesn't. See what you like and what you don't-- see where you need to improve your designs.

Then program your own game from scratch using your new found understanding.

edit:

By the way-- if anyone thinks using a tool like Unity is somehow "cheating" or not "game design" then you should look at these people that use SDL, PyGame, JMonkeyEngine, XNA or what ever API/Framework they use and let them know they are "cheating" just as much as you are.

This post has been edited by stackoverflow: 05 October 2011 - 08:23 PM